Fighting Poverty & Drought with Honeybees

Nuriya, an Ethiopian mother of six children, has been able to make ends meet on her own since her husband passed away 11 years ago. By farming bees, a trade usually engaged by men, Nuriya is able to provide for her family.

Country Info

A widespread drought is severely impacting Ethiopia, leaving millions of people without enough to eat.

Ethiopia’s worst drought in 30 years is fueled by the El Niño weather pattern that has contributed to two failed seasonal rains last year – dangerous for a country where more than 80 percent of its populationare farmers. In one of the most affected areas where CARE works, East Hararghe in the east, crop production fell by 70 percent last year.

CARE started working in Ethiopia in 1984 in response to severe drought and famine that devastated the population and claimed the lives of nearly one million people. Since then, the organization’s activities have expanded to address the root causes of poverty and vulnerability.

As part of CARE Ethiopia’s development of a focused and long-term program approach to poverty, the office targets three groups of people:

More than 400K mothers are at risk in Ethiopia

As the effects of the El Niño drought in Ethiopia continues, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are at particular risk of malnutrition and complications during pregnancy due to the devastating food shortages.